She claimed she was not a historian but a memoirist; yet the words of Georgia Green Stamper, guest speaker at the Owen County Historical Society meeting Thursday, skillfully took on the cadence of the color, life, and movement of Owen County history.

I have noticed in the News-Herald that many animals in several counties in Kentucky are being mistreated. Many dogs and puppies are being abandoned in our area. The Owen County Friends of Animals Inc. — (502) 514-1439 — has several dogs for adoption. They do a wonderful job taking care of homeless dogs, but financial help is needed. Please help “Man’s Best Friend.”

Annelise wants to be a spaceman, she told me, so that she and I can fly to the moon.

“What will we do when we get there?” I asked, not telling her that the astronauts had found the moon to be a cold, dark place. I sank deeper into my easy chair, though, in case she had any ill-timed illusions of leaving the earth’s atmosphere that afternoon. My bones have been achy lately, and I wasn’t sure I was up to spur of the moment space travel.

At the beginning of time — so the stories went — my people decided to leave the faraway land of Virginia, and made a great pilgrimage across the mountains, and through the gap, seeking our “Promised Land.” It was the singular most extraordinary event in our history. Our people became legends, our stories myths, our places hallowed.

With these words, columnist and Kentucky author Georgia Green Stamper, who will be the special guest of the historical society Thursday evening, describes her forefathers’ journey from Virginia to Owen County, Kentucky.

Once again, the city of Monterey became a small river town brought alive by the past and present people of Owen County for the homecoming fair. The week before the fair, the town was full of volunteers, painting, mowing and trimming weeds. They really cleaned the city up beautifully.

Amanda Hammonds and Emma Thornton did a great job on the parade this year.

Recently, we learned that another young person in our nation took his own life after he had been ridiculed, shamed and publicly humiliated because he was gay. He was 18 years old, a college freshman and an accomplished violinist. Within the last three weeks, we learned that at least five young people in our nation, who were either gay or labeled as gay, committed suicide because they were treated so despicably by others. Two of them were 13 years old. Are you as heartsick to hear this as I am?

Over the past few months, our community has been a beehive of conversation around the goings and comings of several school administrators, including our superintendent, high school principal, athletic director, board members, some coaches and other employees some community residents would prefer no longer worked for the school system.